Many people have started asking me about supplements since I began writing this series. This didn’t surprise me since people would rather buy supplements instead of changing their lifestyle. In most cases, they waste a lot of money on things that do jack shit.
So this obviously begs the question. Which ones do you actually need? And which ones don’t? For most people, 95 percent of supplements fall in the latter category. This is what I call the supplement paradox. The more people rely on supplements, the more they lose money without getting results. In most cases, the real issue is nutritional, something no amount of supplements can fix.
Let’s take a look first at the 5 supplements most dieticians swear by.
- Whey protein
- Multivitamins
- Omega 3
- Beta Alanine (this one is up to the dietician, most swear by it though)
- Creatine Monohydrate
In this article, we’ll cover whey protein and multivitamins.
Whey Protein
This shouldn’t be a very long section. It’s pretty straightforward. Do you need it? No. You only need about 2 x your BW in kg for protein per day if you’re an athlete. Less active people can get away with less. You can easily get this from real food. Even if you’re 100 kg. Your protein intake isn’t too low because it’s hard to get in protein; it’s too low because you don’t understand nutrition.
Aside from that, most protein powders are full of bad ingredients that make it hard to digest. This is obviously done to make it as cheap as possible.
You don’t need whey protein. It’s better to get it from Whole Foods, but if you really need it because you’re extremely busy, I’d suggest taking grass-fed whey protein. It’s higher quality, and it’s easy to digest, but it also comes with a price, of course. It’s not cheap.
So how do I know for sure that I have quality protein?
Quality whey protein and the spoon test.
I learned this trick while working for a Belgian supplement brand. The owner had his own brand and said the easiest way to see if whey protein was high quality was to try to mix the whey protein with a beverage of choice by stirring it with a spoon. It’s of good quality if it mixes easily.
It’s of horrible quality if it doesn’t mix easily. Some brands don’t even mix if you use a shaker. Note that a lab test is always better, but this test is a cheaper alternative.
The reality of your protein intake.
There are 2 sources of protein. We have primary sources of protein, which means they’re high in protein. Chicken breast is an example. Secondary sources are foods that contain protein but a smaller amount. Almonds, oats, milk, and yogurt are all examples of this.
Most people think the secondary sources don’t count towards your daily total, but they do. Factor these in, and you’ll see how easy it is to get your daily intake.
The whey paradox: basically unnecessary unless you really have issues with meal prepping due to a busy schedule.
Multivitamins
The show The Big Bang Theory had a joke that goes like this.
Sheldon: Oh boy.
Penny: What now?
Sheldon: Well, while there’s some value to taking multivitamins, the human body can only absorb so much. What you’re buying here are the ingredients for very expensive urine.
Penny: Well, maybe that’s what I was going for.
Sheldon: Well, then you would want some manganese
This was from season 1, episode 4 (watch the related clip here).
There is a lot of truth to this. Multivitamins are mostly expensive urine. You get most from food, and people with a well-balanced diet will rarely have a vitamin deficiency.
You’ll pee most of it out because your body doesn’t need it. So it’s basically a waste of money. It always comes down to the same principle. Changing your lifestyle is always better than adding more supplements.
Two good articles on this subject. The main message is what matters in the first one, although some things in the first article should be taken with a grain of salt
- Is There Really Any Benefit to Multivitamins?” — Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Don’t Waste Time (or Money) on Dietary Supplements” — Harvard Health Publishing
The multivitamin paradox: expensive urine unless deficient. So for most people, it’s just expensive urine.
Nutrition Coaching
Over the years, I’ve helped fighters heal their metabolism, lose weight effectively, and fuel their bodies for peak performance. If you’re struggling with weight loss, underperforming due to poor nutrition, or dealing with a damaged metabolism, DM me “nutrition” on Instagram to get started.
In my 3-month coaching program, I’ll guide you through:
- Healing your metabolism.
- Losing weight sustainably without burnout.
- Learning how to fuel for performance when maintaining and losing weight.
- Cutting weight safely for a fight (only for fighters).
I only take 3 clients every 3 months.
If this resonates, DM me “nutrition” on Instagram.
Until next time.
Alex
Further reading
- Eat, Sleep, Overtrain, Repeat → I cover the truth about underrecovery (most people call it overtraining).
- The Issue with Eating Out in Thailand → Aimed at Muay Thai fighters, but useful for anyone training here.
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 1)
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 2)
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 3)
- Zero To Alpha Wisdom #31: no risk, no story
